×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Most Russians Want Putin to Stick Around for Yet Another Term in 2018

66 percent of Russians want Putin to remain president after 2018, according to a new poll.

Two-thirds of Russians hope that Vladimir Putin will retain the presidency beyond the end of his third term in 2018, according to a poll conducted by the Kremlin-friendly Public Opinion Foundation.

The poll results, published Wednesday, revealed that a mere 14 percent of the population would prefer that Putin to retire in 2018, while a whopping 66 percent want him to continue leading the country for a fourth term.

Putin was reelected to the presidency in March 2012 after serving for four years as prime minister. Whereas his first two terms ran for four years each, a change to the relevant legislation in the interim period extended his third presidential term to six years.

Assuming that the presidential term limits remain unchanged, reelection for a fourth term would place Putin at the helm of the country until 2024.

In September 2012, a few months into his third term, only 29 percent of respondents wished Putin would stay on for a fourth term, according to the Public Opinion Foundation.

The poll also found that 74 percent of Russians are currently satisfied with the work Putin is doing in office, a figure that has soared 24 percent since April 2013.

More than half of Russians think Putin is now coping better with his presidential duties than he did during his first two terms, the poll revealed.

Respondents said they had strongly favored Putin's role in the annexation of Crimea, Russia's policy towards Ukraine, the Sochi Winter Olympics and Russia's strengthened position on the international stage.

The poll results were calculated based on the opinions of a representative sample of 1,500 adults across 43 Russian regions surveyed in mid-June.

Putin's approval rating reached record highs in the aftermath of Russia's annexation of Crimea. A survey conducted by the Levada Center, an independent research organization, found in May that Putin's approval ratings had hit 83 percent.

See also:

Lithuanian President Likens Putin to Stalin and Hitler

Contact the author at g.tetraultfarber@imedia.ru

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more